Finland ready to put on a show

Football Association of Finland president Pekka Hämäläinen believes UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ will be a tournament to remember as he looks ahead to the big kick-off on 23 August. Tickets went on sale last week for the 12-nation event which will be held in the Finnish cities of Helsinki, Lahti, Tampere and Turku, and Hämäläinen is predicting it will have a lasting impact on the sport in his country well beyond the final whistle on 10 September.

uefa.com: What does it mean to Finland to stage a tournament as big as this?

Pekka Hämäläinen: This is the biggest football tournament we have ever organised: It's really a question of pride to do it well.

uefa.com: Finland has a great tradition in women's football, but how will hosting a tournament like this help encourage participation in the game?

Hämäläinen: It was a good achievement, of course, to reach the semi-finals in 2005. After that, we noticed the media was more interested in women's football in Finland. And still more important is that small girls have become more interested in football. The fact is that football is the most popular sport among girls under the age of 18. It's more popular than any other sport in Finland.

uefa.com: What difference will home advantage make for Finland?

Hämäläinen: It's difficult to say, but we trust our team. Our minimum goal is to get to the quarter-finals; after that, we'll see.

uefa.com: The opening game of UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ between England and Finland in Manchester drew a competition-record crowd of 29,092. Can that be broken in Finland?

Hämäläinen: The opening match against Denmark will be a big event at the Olympic Stadium. It holds about 40,000 people, and we'll do our best to fill it. We have been thinking about that for two years already. Of course we cannot promise, but our goal is to break the record.

uefa.com: What are you most looking forward to?

Hämäläinen: We're looking forward to a good atmosphere and good participation from the Finnish people, especially from children, girls and boys … everybody. We want to have a good atmosphere during the tournament, not only in the four cities where we play but everywhere, so that everybody can see that the tournament is here.

uefa.com: What are you doing to encourage that?

Hämäläinen: A lot of promotional work, and I think the media has taken us very positively. They have already written a lot about this tournament. I think that when autumn comes, everybody in Finland will know that the tournament is being played there.

uefa.com: What will the legacy be for Finnish football to have hosted this tournament?

Hämäläinen: I saw a big football match in the Olympic Games of 1952 [which were held in Helsinki] between Finland and Austria. I think this should be an event that everybody in the world – girls and boys – will remember for a long time after this tournament, that this year was the year when we had this wonderful tournament, and the wonderful feeling and atmosphere in Finland.

uefa.com: It has been a successful year for Finnish football, with the Under-21 side reaching the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship as well. How big an achievement was that?

Hämäläinen: It was the best achievement of our Under-21s ever – and of course a bit surprising, even for us. It's a very positive thing for Finnish football, and means that for Finnish football fans, this year, 2009, will internationally be quite special, because in June we have the men's Under-21 tournament, and the women's tournament in August and September.

uefa.com: Finland have also got off to a strong start in FIFA World Cup qualifying, losing just once in four games and drawing with Germany. How impressed are you with the work that coach Stuart Baxter is doing?

Hämäläinen: A few months ago we extended the contract of Stuart Baxter until the end of the next UEFA tournament – so he will stay with us at least three more years. He doesn't only take responsibility for coaching the national team, but he also very much wants to be involved in developing Finnish football as a whole – in coach education, player education. In our national team, there are many older, more experienced players who are finishing their careers. We are in the middle of a change of generation, and as Stuart Baxter is also very good with young players, we thought he is the right person to take care of this generation change.

To watch this interview in the uefa.com Magazine, click here.